Social Media Dos and Don’ts for the New Year

Social media is definitely a quickly-changing and adapting technology. We’ve seen countless changes in social media over the last year. Just think back to what Facebook looked like on January 1, 2013 – it’s a lot different than the social media giant’s homepage looks right now.

So in the spirit of change, I think that people and companies should be always evolving in their social media strategies as well. Do you notice people on your Facebook timeline who post what seems like the same thing over and over again? I do! So to ring in 2014, let’s evaluate our social media practices and retire some things that people are frankly getting sick of. Here are a few dos and don’ts for the New Year:

Don’t feel the need to comment on every news story – brands in particular seem to feel the need to weigh in on every national news story via social media (Twitter seems to be particularly popular for this). Unless the story is directly related to your company or industry (and even that can be a stretch) then it can come across as disingenuous to offer your thoughts.

Don’t masquerade marketing materials as content – while it’s fine to incorporate marketing ideas and collateral into your social media pages, be upfront and honest about what they are. Followers and/or customers don’t want to be lured into reading or commenting on something that is merely a ruse for marketing.

Do have great customer service via social media – take the time to formulate a strategy for social media customer service that includes fast response times and legitimate answers to questions. No brushing off customers or forcing them to email or call instead of having their questions answered where they asked them – on social media.

Do post quality content, often – make sure that you are posting things that you genuinely think your followers will be interested in. This can include linking to outside sites, other people’s pages, news articles, and more. Just make sure that what you are posting is relevant to those who are following you. Don’t just post any old thing that you think is interesting – think like someone that you want to follow your brand.

We all know that social media is a great tool. Make the most of it for your company in 2014!

Megan Totka is the Chief Editor for ChamberofCommerce.com. She specializes on the topic of small business tips and resources. ChamberofCommerce.com helps small businesses grow their business on the web and facilitates connectivity between local businesses and more than 7,000 Chambers of Commerce worldwide.